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Critics’ Picks of 2011: Making Sense of a More Sensible Year

THREE-PEAT The Ford Mustang Boss 302 was ranked as one of the best cars of 2011 on all three of the top-10 lists prepared by Times reviewers.Credit
Ford Motor

STEADY growth and building momentum may not be the ideal ingredients of sexy headlines, but the cars we drove in 2011 still offered plenty to be optimistic about.

Among the year’s highs were beautifully rendered family sedans and keenly balanced sports cars, but equally significant was the arrival of models — from mainstream compacts to luxury-brand benchmarks — that were as satisfying to drive as they were efficient.

A wave of new electric cars and plug-in hybrids are on the way, but the internal-combustion engine showed no signs of stepping aside. BMW did the once-unthinkable in offering a turbo 4 in its 5 Series; Ford replaced the thirsty base-level V-8 in its perennial best-seller, the F-150 pickup, with a smarter V-6.

As in past years, writers for these pages selected the cars they found most memorable in the previous 12 months. By no means a comprehensive list, it is rather an assessment of how well particular models fulfill their particular missions, and perhaps stir a driver’s spirit along the way.

A version of this article appears in print on January 1, 2012, on Page AU1 of the New York edition with the headline: Critics’ Picks of 2011: Making Sense of a More Sensible Year. Order Reprints|Today's Paper|Subscribe